


but don't you worry (i can handle it)

by hearden



Series: addicted but trying to quit [1]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Angst, Cheating, F/F, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 23:24:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13557789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hearden/pseuds/hearden
Summary: Kim and Kat had a thing -- before Kat moved to Angel Grove and found out that Kim had a boyfriend, that is.(au based off of curious by hayley kiyoko bc fuck me up with that angst)





	but don't you worry (i can handle it)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [necking](https://archiveofourown.org/users/necking/gifts).
  * Inspired by [what you see (when you look at the sky)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13555314) by [necking](https://archiveofourown.org/users/necking/pseuds/necking). 



> if u like this ship bc u should, feel free to go check out my hordes of kimkat content and also necking's trimberly curious au fic which inspired this one
> 
> reboot kat is zendaya, i'll take that to my grave and, yes, zendaya doesn't have kat's iconic blue eyes but some things must be sacrificed on the altar of the image of naomi and zendaya together
> 
> hey i'm horrible and wrote straight-up cheating for the first time which is... unfortunate and this reads more like a part-grease/part-curious au but u know just go with it

By the time she's fifteen, Kat has the time difference between Sydney and Angel Grove memorised. Nineteen hours away, she knows Kimberly Hart's favourite colour is pink. That she spends two hours on her phone while in bed before _actually_ going to sleep. That she has a stuffed puppy she still sleeps with and his name is, to Kat's amusement, Mr. Woofer. That Kim is in junior varsity cheer and trying so desperately hard to make the varsity team. Next year, Kim says, and Kat smiles, proudly, and believes her.

She knows other things, too, things that she takes into the water with her when she swims.

The sound of Kim's moans, muffled against her pillow, drifting to her from a world away. How breathless she is when she comes down, panting her name, and honestly, Kat thinks her favourite words in the world are _Kat, fuck, holy shit_ in that order.

She climbs out of the pool, most days, wet and smug and remembering.

 

-

 

They met on a dating app -- strictly a _not_ straight one because Kat knows what she wants and she knows it isn't boys. It's dangerous, she knows, especially when she and Kim both find out that the numbers on their profiles are a bit exaggerated, but a few phone and video calls prove that their profile pictures are both as advertised.

She tells her parents about Kim fairly early in their relationship, and they're nothing but supportive, but they do remind her of the reality that Sydney is nowhere near Angel Grove, California. Still, Kat starts saving up. It can be a dream, and this can end up not lasting, but she's nothing if she's not determined.

 

-

 

Kim starts withdrawing during the fall of their senior year.

She gives excuses, that she's too busy, has too much on her plate, to call Kat. Weeks, months pass of the barest of conversation. A text she sends in her morning gets answered the next day when she wakes up, then two, three days later. She can feel Kim drifting away from her even though they're already oceans apart, and the sinking feeling settles into her chest, ice cold, that Kim isn't interested in someone she can't touch anymore.

The next time they have a video call, though, Kat almost doesn't recognize her girlfriend on the screen of her laptop.

"You-- you cut your hair," she gasps, trying to hide her surprise and not look like a complete idiot. Sure, Kim hasn't drastically cut her hair in years, and Kat always thought her long hair was absolutely stunning -- not that _this_ wasn't stunning, but--

Kim raises her eyebrows and laughs, her eyes twinkling, _"You don't like it?"_ Running a hand through her shorter hair, she does a little shake of her head to show off to Kat. She's wearing a bright pink tank top over a black bra, which is also new because Kim's wardrobe has always been dark, cold, tough, but Kat finds that she likes it. Kim looks… warm. Bright.

"No, no," Kat tilts her head and smiles, fondly, "I do. It's new, but I love it. What made you decide to cut it all off?"

Kim wrings her hands together and bites her lower lip, all things that Kat's been able to pick up by now as her nervous tells, but she lets Kim take her time. Being so far away from her girlfriend has meant learning to be patient, even if it's excruciatingly painful to do so. _"I just… needed a change,"_ she says, finally, with a soft sigh.

"Does that mean you're doing better now?" Kat asks, hopefully, but not prying.

 _"Yeah,"_ Kim answers without missing a beat, her smile beaming, _"I am. I-- I know I haven't really been talking about what's been going on, but… I'm doing a lot better now."_

Kat nods, her chest swelling with pride and adoration, "I'm glad. I love seeing your smile."

Grabbing a pillow from behind her on her bed, Kim buries her face into it, hiding from Kat. She says something that isn't really audible, and Kat giggles, "I'm sorry, I didn't really catch that?"

Kim picks her head back up and pouts, _"I said, 'Stop, you're making me blush'."_

Her stomach nervously flipping, Kat clears her throat, softly, and says, slowly, feeling the past few months they've spent drifting apart making her shy, "I could, um, make you do _more_ than just blush."

Kim pauses, and Kat can clearly see her shoulders tremble as she takes a deep breath in. _"Um, I--"_ she falters, holding up a finger, _"Lemme-- check if my parents are home, okay?"_

"I'll be waiting," Kat teases with a grin and laughs out loud as Kim trips on nothing while scrambling out of bed.

 

-

 

The atmosphere of her room is positively filthy as Kat pants, trying to even out her breathing before it gets too loud that her parents hear her. She brings her phone closer to her ear, her heart and heat aching for Kim's equally strained breathing on the other side.

 _"Wow,"_ Kim whispers, _"Holy shit."_

Kat chuckles, her ears burning in a blush that she wishes Kim could be next to her to see right now, "You say that every time."

 _"You make me feel like that every time,"_ comes Kim's response.

Kat grins into her pillow, "I-- You make me feel like that every time, too."

 

-

 

Her parents break the news to her in late November. Kim has a whole week off for Thanksgiving break, but Kat doesn't plan on telling her, anyway. She wants to keep the news to herself, surprise her girlfriend come winter holidays.

Packing for Angel Grove is easy, Kat finds. In fact, it's much easier than packing to go on holiday, and most of -- no, all of that is because she knows that with every shirt she folds up into her luggage or every book she puts into a box, it's all bringing her closer to Kim.

 

-

 

It's a necessary sacrifice to keep the surprise going, but it pains her just a little to act as if she's just a tiny bit too busy to have video calls with Kim as the day of her move approaches. She has to, though, especially when her bookshelf starts getting emptied out and posters and pictures go off of her wall and into boxes. Kim would notice if Kat gave her the chance to see her.

It's all worth it, in the end, she knows.

They've been waiting so, so long, and finally, the universe has smiled down on them.

 

-

 

Kat starts school on Monday at Angel Grove High during the start of December.

She texts Kim the night before.

 **_kat:_ ** _hey i have a surprise for u tomorrow_

 **_kim:_ ** _isn't it already tmrw for u? what kind of surprise??_

 **_kat:_ ** _just have to wait, go to sleep, and see ;)_

 **_kim:_ ** _ughh fine_

 **_kat:_ ** _its gonna be good, i promise_

 **_kim:_ ** _ok well now the suspense is killing me ): kat tell me pleaseeeeee?_

 **_kim:_ ** _i love u so much_

 **_kat:_ ** _i love u too_

 **_kat:_ ** _but it's a surprise!_

 **_kat:_ ** _go to sleep_

 **_kim:_ ** _:/ fine_

 **_kim:_ ** _night babe <3 _

**_kat:_ ** _ <3 _

 

-

 

She adjusts the strap of her bag and takes a deep breath, staring at the hallway leading to the cafeteria. Kat knows that that's where Kim is in the mornings -- she's mentioned it before in their texts but never really had a video call in there because, as Kim says, it's too noisy and they wouldn't be able to hear each other at all.

Judging by the noise drifting from the closed cafeteria doors, Kat believes that.

She closes her eyes and thinks about Kim's smile, about her laugh, how her eyes twinkle when she just _gazes_ at Kat in that way that makes her blush, and warmth flows through her bones, filling her up from her toes.

Finally.

Striding down the hallway, Kat reaches the cafeteria doors and pushes them open, walking through, tall and golden and new. It takes her a minute, but she catches sight of Kim, the pull on her heart guiding her on where to look.

Her girlfriend sits at a table with five other kids that Kat doesn't know -- Kim's never really mentioned her friends, and Kat's never really mentioned her own, either, considering that she never really had many. Of course, Kim never mentioned them; she never figured that Kat would be so close to one day meeting them.

Kim sees her and immediately gets up, shock and confusion on her face, dislodging the arm of a boy in a green jacket from her shoulder.

Kat almost questions that, but she's so absolutely overwhelmed by seeing Kim in person that her brain short circuits.

Ten steps, five steps, then--

"I-- _Kat?_ " Kim looks at her like she's never seen her before, lost and not processing, "What-- _what_ are you doing here?"

Kat finds her voice, somehow, "Surprise."

Kim's brain catches up, and she blinks, letting out a shaky sigh, "I--" She takes Kat by the arm and tugs, leading her to follow her back through the cafeteria doors and into the hallway. "H-how?" she whispers, her eyes widening.

"My dad's job," Kat answers, softly, smiling, "I found out when you were on Thanksgiving break, but I figured I'd just surprise you before finals."

"Well-- wow," Kim stutters, shifting nervously from foot to foot, "Yeah, what a, um, what a _surprise._ "

Kat's body responds with _Uh-oh_ before her mind actually thinks it. Her chest sinks. Something is coming. She doesn't know what, but something is coming.

Kim crosses her arms over her chest and looks at the ground, hiding her eyes, "There's… there's something I've been meaning to tell you, Kat."

She _really_ wishes someone's about to die. That the next words out of Kim's mouth are about to be about some family tragedy or _something,_ but she's too intuitive. There are only so many movies written about things like this, and somehow, Kat's stumbled straight into one of them.

She should've seen it coming.

"I… I have a boyfriend."

Kim glances up at her, and Kat has to tear her eyes away from the guilt on her _ex-_ girlfriend's face. It doesn't deserve to be there, she thinks, balling her hands into fists at her side.

"How long?" she manages to mutter through gritted teeth.

"Kat, I meant to tell you. We just, something happened, and we clicked--"

"How _long?_ "

Kim swallows, "October."

Kat clenches her jaw and tries to remember if there'd been signs two months ago, but she can't make anything come to mind. She doesn't want to make anything come to mind. "What's his name?" she asks, coldly, still not meeting Kim's eyes. Instead, she fixes her eyes on a trophy case a bit down the hallway and on a jersey framed dead center on the display. _Scott 11,_ the jersey reads.

"Tommy," Kim mumbles.

She decides right then that she hates that name.

When she does look at Kim, it's with a steel gaze that makes Kim flinch and take a step back. "I hope you love him better than you loved me."

 

-

 

Kim doesn't tell her friends about Kat -- or, at least, the whole truth, anyway.

She tells them that Kat's an old friend from, like, junior high or something, and Kat quietly goes along with it but, every day, she goes home and wishes her shower could be hot enough to consume her in flames.

The truth is, she probably should say something, especially with how oblivious it seems that Kim's boyfriend, _Tommy,_ is blissfully unaware of how Kim tenses every time Kat even looks at her. They definitely don't sit together at lunch, and Kim goes through the extra effort to make sure that at least two people -- usually two of the boys because they've got bigger frames, which makes it easier for them to _not_ look at each other by accident -- sit between her and Kat.

But, she keeps it to herself, half because she doesn't want to be responsible for ruining Tommy's life when he doesn't even _know_ and half because she holds -- no, _clings to_ like she'd wanted to cling to Kim -- onto useless hope that if she stays quiet, then maybe Kim will realize how much she misses her and maybe, maybe, maybe.

Yeah, maybe, she's just an idiot.

 

-

 

Angel Grove High has a women's swim team, but Kat doesn't bother thinking about it. She's already missed the entire season, and considering that this is her last year, there's no point.

There's no point to a lot of things, apparently.

Which is how she ends up yanking Trini aside as they're all leaving lunch to head to their next class one day.

Trini narrows her eyes at her, and Kat immediately draws her hands back, awkwardly letting them hang at her sides. "What?"

"There's something I have to tell you."

The shorter girl raises an eyebrow, "Are you sure you have to tell _me?_ I'd like to get to class."

"It'll be quick."

Trini crosses her arms, expectantly.

She takes a deep breath and tells herself not to get nauseous. "Kim and I used to date," Kat mutters, quickly, like ripping off a bandaid. She winces once it's all out, her skin crawling.

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

"We-- we met years ago," she says, nervously clasping and unclasping her hands, "On a dating app."

Trini scoffs but says nothing, letting her continue.

"I-- It was rough, but we got through a lot together, and then… earlier this year, we started to drift apart, and she-- she wouldn't tell me what was going on, but, I don't know, things got better a couple of months ago, so I let it go."

Trini's jaw clenches, "Did she cut her hair around that time? When things got better?"

"Um, yeah, yeah, she did."

"And, then, you moved here," Trini finishes for her.

"She has a boyfriend," Kat whispers, more to herself, as if she's only truly processing it now.

"You've been dating her for longer," Trini states, but her voice is just slightly strained; Kat wonders what's going on in Trini's mind right now -- probably a _lot_ of doubt if her experience was anything to go off of, "You need to talk to her."

Kat shakes her head. "I don't ever wanna see her again," she bites out, harshly.

"Well, too fucking bad, because you kinda go to the same school as her, now. You _need_ to talk to her."

Kat laughs, but it's short and rough, "What would I even get out of that? More pain? She fucking broke my heart, and I didn't even know it was happening."

Trini doesn't say anything to that and shoves her hands into her pockets. "You remember how Kim said her parents are out of town this week? She's having a party tonight."

"Yeah, I know," Kat bites her lower lip, wishing she were strong enough to draw blood, "I wasn't invited."

"Consider this me bringing you as my plus one."

 

-

 

Kat doesn't spare any time the moment she walks in through Kim's front door. Jason opens the door for them, which in hindsight, is better than Kim doing so because Kat thinks she probably would've made a scene right there on Kim's porch.

Instead, she and Trini step inside, and Kat immediately leaves Trini's side to look for Kim, which Trini is entirely content on letting her do.

She slips past and dodges warm, drunk bodies and jabbing elbows, a wandering presence around a house that she never got introduced to. Kat spots Kim in the living room, her arm around Tommy's waist, his arm around her shoulder, as they sit on the sofa, chatting with other kids from school. Someone tells a joke, and Kim cracks up in giggles, burying her face into Tommy's jacket.

Kat's insides burn.

She strides over to the sofa, and before either Kim or Tommy can ask what she's doing, she grabs Kim's free hand and drags her off. Kim's protests fall on her deaf ears as she walks, blindly, around the house, and eventually, Kim stops protesting and pulls on her hand, instead, leading her to the closest, unoccupied bathroom.

Flipping the lights on, Kim locks the door behind them and turns around.

"Kim--" she starts, not really knowing where that thought was going to end.

Her back hits the counter, hard and painful, as Kim presses their bodies close, lips crashing into hers, but Kat doesn't shatter like the porcelain she once thought she was. She moves, all motion, no emotion, hands automatically going to Kim's waist.

This is their first kiss.

Kat pushes, her spine steel, her heart stone, and creates space between them before she turns them around and easily lifts Kim up onto the counter, her mouth roaming along Kim's neck and exposed shoulder, her kisses more hasty bites than anything else.

A moan tumbles from Kim's lips, and for a moment, Kat closes her eyes, remembering how it'd excited her the first time she'd heard Kim's voice over the phone. It seems so long ago, now.

She moves until her lips are hovering over Kim's, not touching, not brushing, but almost, and their eyes meet.

And, in her eyes, right before she whirls around and leaves as fast as she'd arrived, she lets Kim see their last kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> title from Curious - Hayley Kiyoko
> 
> i suffered thru an australian spell checker just to write this fic but i'm not responsible for any mistakes bc i, unlike kat, spell words correctly and without a u in everything :/
> 
> i tried to make it somewhat clear that they're still power rangers in this but like since kat's not a ranger, she doesn't know so it just.... seems like kim was Super Distant when really she was mostly just avoiding video calling kat bc she'd look worse for wear from training etc..... also honestly i could see an even angstier sequel coming from this where the rangers go thru a team change so kim passes her powers off to kat.... i'll just leave u w/ that lovely thought :)


End file.
